Of course I won't pretend to know anything about the internal game or challenges a team faces in a Superbowl situation, under that sort of pressure. But as I watched the Broncos fall apart yesterday, some thoughts came to mind:
- Although a Superbowl game is a little more polarized in terms of who wins and who loses, in many ways the Broncos' and Manning's loss remind me of how so many people perceived Jesus' activity among the same way we do Manning's. The primary reaction during the game in the group I was with was "I think the Broncos forgot to put this game on their calendars." How many of the Jews and Pharisees were also thinking the same thing with Jesus? They constantly asked for signs, wondered when the revolution was actually going to start, and asked why he wasn't saving himself if he was so powerful. For many, Jesus didn't seem to show up to the game. I think many might feel as though he isn't showing up to the game now either. I'm pretty sure the Broncos didn't choose to lose yesterday so they could make a deeper, more profound statement. But I'm also pretty sure that Jesus DID and DOES. It's up to our deeper-discerning hearts to see what that statement and activity is.
- As I made direct, eye-to-eye contact with Peyton Manning during the game, thanks to the assertive close-ups from the camera crew, I wondered what it felt like to be the man shouldering the win or loss of the game, and what it would be like today for him (the day after). How do you wake up the next day? Where do you go? Who do you talk to? Who, what, where do you avoid in an effort to maintain some sort of dignity and composition? It's true most of us don't regularly find ourselves in one of the biggest single sporting events of the year. But many of us DO find ourselves feeling as though we're shouldering the weight of the big win or loss when it comes to our jobs, our families, our finances, our health, etc. As a pastor, the thought of losing the game is one of the most terrifying fears. Yet, each of us is called to keep our dignity, embrace our losses, and find solace in that pain, knowing it has not cost us our whole life if our lives are in Christ. But I often wonder, where does a person start when trying to keep this truth?
- Lastly, I realized toward halftime I shouldn't have made fun of the Seahawks yesterday (Feb 2) in my message. Revenge is too sweet for some to pass up. Oops.
More to come!
Jason <><
Well said. Another observation though: I think the Broncos/Manning got caught in the trap of dwelling on their previous failure in the game. So much so in fact, they got to the point of giving up the fight way before it was over. Negativity like that can be really contagious anywhere, but especially in a sports setting. If you look at Peyton's face during the game- he was upset- upset at both himself and his team. I'm sure his players sensed it and were more scared of "screwing up" the next play, instead of feeling like "we got this- no problem!" Last night was a good lesson in sports psychology, and also life in general. When you screw up, shake it off and get some perspective, and look forward to the next play. Don’t give up the ship or start crying “mulligan!” in your own head.
ReplyDeleteWhen you looked at the Seahawks last night, you saw confidence and fun! Those guys were out there having fun and living it up. The Seahawks screwed up at times in the game last night also. Sure they did, but nobody really remembers that today, because they chose not to remember either! They just adjusted and moved forward with their new plan.
Peyton is a perfectionist- you can just see it in him. Those of us that are perfectionists know that this is a mixed blessing. It leads someone towards being the best they can, but it can also lead to them being too hard on themselves when they fail. What perfectionists lack however, is perspective. Instead of worrying about his lack of perfection last night, Peyton needed to take about 5 seconds a say to himself, “I am getting paid millions of dollars every year for doing what I love. I am playing the highest ranking football game in the world right now. This is awesome!” Then he needed to tell his players, “This is fun, damnit. I want you guys to start having fun.” I can guarantee that sort of positivity would have done more for the team than anything else. In my estimation, the Broncos lost (so badly) because they had negativity and no perspective.